Slave
by Kaibun
Summary: Picking up at the battle at the end of the Deathly Hallows things go differently during the confrontation with Voldemort. How much pain can one person tolerate? How long can you keep it at bay before the grief catches up with you? Focus on Hermione Draco


Prologue

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

Voldemort hissed.

"Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today Potter?"

"Nobody," Harry said simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

"One of us?" heered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them, in that perfect circle, maintaining the same fistance from each other and for Harry no face existed but Voldemort's. "Accident, when I decided to fight in the graveyard? Accident that I didn't defend myself and still survive, and returned to fight again?"

"Accidents!? Voldemort screamed.

Harry wasn't quite sure which happened first. Hermione and Ron were beside him in an instant. There was a sudden flash of light from both sides of him and his two best friends lay motionless on the ground. He looked up to see Lucius, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy standing behind Voldemort. He hadn't seen them appear. They must have apparatedl Hogwarts' protection magic was in tatters now. Lucius and Narcissa had their wands raised. Harry looked from them, to his motionless friends, to Voldemort's smiling face.

"I helped you!" Harry yelled at them, as he was instantly overcome with fury and despair, looking at the open glassy eyes of his friends. His heart was in his throat, tears welled in his eyes and anger coursed through his body. Harry raised his wand, but in his blinding rage, he was slower than Voldemort. The last thing Harry saw before the world went black was Draco's smiling face standing next to Voldemort and a flash of green light. Then nothing.

*

"Harry Potter is dead!" Voldemort cried. The reaction was instant. Mrs. Weasley, who had been frozen in her place when her son had hit the ground motionless, screamed and ran toward them. Voldemort's laughter was followed by that of the Malfoy's and echoed through the screams of the Hogwartians. Professor McGonagall rushed forward next to Mrs. Weasley and gently touched the bodies of the three fallen students. The eyes of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley stared, open and unseeing up at them.

"Leave the bodies!" Voldemort screamed. "I will kill anyone who touches the body of Harry Potter!" He threw a sobbing Mrs. Weasley backwards with a blast from his wand, off the lifeless body of her son. Professor McGonagall soon followed with another quick blast. Voldemort waved his wand again and a see-through dome appeared over the bodies, encasing them behind it.

"You have to the count of ten to remove yourselves from my presence. You have to the count of a hundred to leave Hogwarts and then I will kill any person who stands in front of me. " Mrs. Weasley stepped forward to reclaim the body of her son and the force field rendered her unconscious. Mr. Weasley hurried forward to collect the body of his wife. After looking wistfully towards that of his son, and throwing Voldemort a death glare, the remaining Hogwartians quickly retreated.

Voldemort's laughter was the only sound, that echoed through the land as he finally claimed his victory over Harry Potter.

Voldemort slowly walked forward and removed the forcefield. He smiled, as close to a smile as his face could manage, as he finally observed the body of his enemy.

"Sixteen years," Voldemort whispered. "Sixteen years I have waited for this moment." Lucius and Narcissa walked up on his left side, Draco on his right.

"Congratulations, milord," Lucius whispered quietly. Voldemort smirked as he jabbed Harry's body with his wand.

"And a Weasley too," Narcissa laughed. "That's two tonight. Not a bad score."

"Don't forget the mudblood," Draco smirked. He kicked Hermione's body gently with his toe, and almost had a heart attack when she groaned.

"She's alive?" Lucius exclaimed incredulously.

"Impossible," Narcissa answered. "I used the killing curse. She can't be alive!"

"She looks pretty alive to me," Draco snarled.

"Well there's nothing for it," Voldemort murmured. "The world will be better off with one less mudblood. Avada keda-"

"Wait!" Draco called. Voldemort looked up in disbelief.

"You dare interrupt me? I should kill you for this!" the Dark Lord snarled.

"Every apology my lord. But this mudblood is of special annoyance to me. I feel it would be fitting, personally satisfying to keep the mudblood as a house slave. Like a house elf. This particular mudblood has caused me extensive grief over the years. There is plenty unfinished business I would like to address, and I feel keeping her as a servant would do exactly that.

Lord Voldemort paused for a moment.

"You have been an invaluable asset to my return to power," Voldemort mused. "And as I have said before, Lord Voldemort rewards those who help him." He turned to Hermione who was rousing properly now. "You may keep the mudblood." Draco smirked.

He watched as her eyes opened. She stared around quickly and sat upright, fumbling for her wand. Draco pulled the wand from his pocket and smirked.

"Looking for something ?" he mused. She frowned at him, then turned slowly as her gaze fell across the bodies of her friends.

"No," she whispered and a sob escaped.

"Yes," Draco answered. "They're dead Granger. Your friends are gone, and the others have abandoned you for dead. You belong to me now." Hermione sobbed as she threw herself across Ron's body and sobbed.

"No," she whispered again as she cried. Draco laughed. "We helped you," she whispered through the tears. "We saved your life twice tonight. How could you do this?" Draco laughed again.

"Your mistake," he laughed. Hermione began to frown but never finished. "Stupefy!" he yelled, and Hermione's body went limp again.

"Leave the body of Potter and his friend. I will return for them later. Collect the injured Death Eaters who fought for me. I will return later."

Voldemort disappeared in a jet of black smoke.

Draco turned away and began to collect the bodies of the fallen Death Eaters.

*

Author's Note: It's only a start. I'll probably rewrite it at some point. But let me know what you think!


End file.
